Spring Decorating Link Party

We’re kicking things off with a mantel/shelf/ledge link party here on our blog today, and Kate, Rhoda, and Sarah will be hosting some more Spring-themed parties on their blogs on March 22nd, 27th and 29th!

I always look forward to Spring cleaning/decorating. It’s my favorite season, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy throwing open the windows, throwing out a bunch of stuff (not out the windows- hee hee), and livening up the place with a little more green! I sprinkled it into our living room in the form of books, butterflies, a vintage metal picnic basket the other day, and I’m loving it! I also used a couple of (very realistic-looking, if I do say so myself) faux plants from Ikea…

I hope they live ’til Summer!

We made the wood art out of some 1×2’s and some “fill-it” strips from the fencing department at Home Depot, and I stained it with a combination of leftover “Special Walnut” and “Provincial” stain we had from other projects. When the stain was dry, I used our electric hand sander to give it a little age.

Next, I punched a whole mess of butterflies out of some old magazines I had, and I love the swoosh of Spring they add to the the room!

(The one in the upper left hand corner reminds me of my bike-ridin’ Mom. Hi Mom!)

I got the butterfly punch at Hobby Lobby ($14.99), and each paper butterfly measures about 2 inches across. To give the flock(?) a little more interest, I made a handful of larger butterflies by enlarging one of the 2″ ones with my printer, and using it as a template to create some 3″ ones.

(Update: Turns out a group of butterflies can be called a rabble, a swarm, a lek, a flutter, or a kaleidoscope. How fun is that?!)

I used “Simply Tacky” mounting putty (from Hobby Lobby) to hold all the butterflies in place…

…and I got all the old crocks from my Grandma the last time I visited my family in Minnesota. I wrapped a couple in twine because I love mixing those kinds of textures…

The crocks have actually been up on our mantel since last Fall, and it’s amazing how versatile those suckers are! They were fun to mix with mercury glass around the holidays, too.

Springtime = fiiiiiinally being able to enjoy walks and eating lunch at the park around these parts, so I thought I’d create a little picnic-themed display down below our mantel while I was at it, too…

And can I just say that all those vintage metal and leather bits drive. Me. WILD?

Anywho, it was a super fun/super inexpensive display to put together, and we’re really enjoying the fresh new look in our living room!

Alright! Let’s get this link party started!

Many of you probably already know the drill, but just in case you’ve never linked up a blog post before, here’s how it works:

Scroll down until you see the little, blue “Add Your Link” button. Click that, and follow the instructions on the page you’re redirected to. The instructions involve uploading a thumbnail image and creating a title for the image you’re using. You may want to title it with the name of your blog, or with the title of your Spring mantel/ledge/shelf display post, but it’s totally up to you. (Note: make sure to link to your Spring Fling post- not to the main page of your blog.)

Last but not least, I created a nifty little badge especially for this party, and we’d love it if you’d post the code in the box below at the bottom of the post you’re linking up…

Reader Interactions

Comments

I love the spring mantle and that you reused some items and pulled in new items as well. Where do you store decorative items when not being used? We are a military family and move A LOT! 5 times in 8 years thus far. I always have items that don’t end up being used in one house or another but they stay in boxes and sometimes I forget what I have…any thoughts?

Thank you, thank you, thank you! My mantle has been sadly lacking, and I really had no idea what to do with it (it’s my first time having a mantle, so other than housing a clock and some candles it’s been obscenely bare). I have so many ideas now! YIPPEE!!!

Who can go wrong with crocks?! I used to go to auctions all the time before I had three children to tow along, and I was ALWAYS so happy when I got the winning bid on crocks! What a great idea of using the old crocks with the new look of the colorful butterflies. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how you use such inexpensive ideas and make it look so expensive! Thank you!!

Layla, I am fashionably late to your party. : ) You have done it again! Your mantel is full of whimsy and the promise of spring’s magical moments! I adore your butterflies. (I had to share your post with my mother because butterflies are her favorite!) The inherited family crockery, the ‘antique’ crate and the enamel picnic basket — wonderful details that hold my attention. Your Friend, Deborah

LOVE your spring mantel Layla! such a creative girl you are. looks like a great party…holy moly that’s a lot of mantel inspiration. i’m looking forward to going through these links and gathering some more ideas…now i just need a mantel to decorate:)

Love it Layla!! I just got several crocks from my mother in law, I’ve had fun using them in different ways!! Love that you used your vintage picnic basket, I have that exact one, plus about 15 more…I’d love to see people using them in different ways. Right now I have them just stacked here and there…between my mom and I, we have a huge collection!

I’m going to have to look at each mantel in your party. I just can’t get mine to look the way I want so these will all be inspiration. Yeah, I’m linking mine anyway since the only reason I hopped to it was to join the party!

I LOVE the butterflies!! I all honestly I love EVERYTHING. I especially love the wrapped twine. It’s so simple but such a perfect touch. OH, and the pictures looks fabulous!! Thanks so much for hosting, Layla! I couldn’t wait to join!! I finally finish my mantel late last night!!! 🙂

Layla, I love your mantel, do you show how you guys attached it on your blog somewhere? I saw the post about how you created the whole fireplace but wondering more about how the mantle was created and attached.

Linking way late but better late than never I guess. 😉 Thanks so much for hosting! Your mantel is adorable, loving those butterflies!! I managed to use a lot of black in my spring/easter mantel (327) because of some unmovable objects, I always love a good decorating challenge. 🙂

I almost missed the party but happy to be linking up my vintage-inspired Easter mantel (341). I’m off to check out all the other inspiring spring mantels. Yours is so happy! The butterflies are a lovely touch and how nice your mom loves to ride her bike. I just overhauled mine last summer and can’t wait to get out on the trails myself soon. Thanks for hosting and have a nice week. Lynn

Just in the nick of time! I new I wanted to share my mantel in your link party, I just never thought it would take me so long to get it posted. I am totally loving how your mantel turned out. If you have any hints on how to work around a big, wall mounted tv, I would greatly appreciate them. The mantel is always the spot where i get stuck. hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

I love your mantel! It’s dripping with butterfly sweetness! I’ve been reading your blog for years. I LOVE it! This is the first time for me to linkup. I was third from the last! I almost didn’t make it! Thank you for hosting!

I don’t have a mantel, however, I love the butterflies as that is what my daughters bedroom is decorated in. This is just the idea I needed to add a few more touches to complete it. Now I have to go an find a punch. Thanks for sharing, love you as always. Lynn D

Just looking over some of your pics — I almost cried when I saw Edith Schaeffer’s “What Is A Family” book on your spring mantle. It’s my second favorite book of all time, after the Bible. Have you read it? I even did a college paper on it!

This mantel is delightful! I’m sharing your sweet butterflies in a 5 for Friday roundup of Spring Mantels on my blog today, with one pic and a link back to this post…then I’m comin’ back to browse this fab linky and poke around your blog some more! : )